The object of the present invention is:    a method for carrying out a chemical reaction between a gas and at least one compound in solution, whereby the method is carried out continuously in a stirred reactor in the presence of a solid catalyst maintained, in a dispersed state, in suspension within the solution containing said compound; said method including the separation of said catalyst from said reacted solution;    a device suitable for carrying out said method.
The present invention has, more particularly, been developed, with respect to the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) using the anthraquinone method, for the catalytic hydrogenation of the working solution. Its field of application is however in no way limited thereto. Those skilled in the art will readily understand from the following that the field of application of the invention relates to any gas/liquid (G/L) reaction, liquid (L) containing, in solution, at least one chemical compound which can react with gas (G) in the presence of a solid catalyst which is held in suspension in said liquid (L).
According to the prior art, the execution of gas/liquid (GIL) reaction methods in the presence of a solid catalyst has been described; said solid catalyst being fixed (referred to as a fixed bed catalyst) or dispersed, in suspension within said liquid. In this second case, the problem of separating said catalyst from said reacted liquid arises. Such separation can be carried out using hydrocyclones. This is notably illustrated in application WO 98/282 25. Such separation can also be based on filtering operations.
The invention relates more precisely to gas/liquid (G/L) reactions, liquid (L) containing, in solution, at least one chemical compound, which can react with gas (G), in the presence of a solid catalyst maintained in suspension in said liquid (L), said reaction methods being carried out with separation (recovery) of said solid catalyst by filtering.
To facilitate, on the one hand, the disclosure below of the present invention, as regards the aspects of its method and device, -and on the other hand, the understanding of said invention, it is proposed, with reference to appended FIG. 1, that the prior art closest to the invention, as disclosed in general terms above, now be described in detail. An improvement to this prior art is proposed according to the invention.